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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kid — child
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — in sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — a country
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com